Fresh Starts

It is a time of fresh starts. The new semester begins tomorrow, it is now time to role out the Footloose scripts and I am about to begin another year of my life. New things coming in every direction- some I'm excited about, some I hope I can be excited about and some I approach with uncertainty, but I know that it will all work out. Each time new things begin, I have a tendency to look to the past for my answers. If only it were as simple as it was when I was a little kid- each night I would go to bed and the next day was just that- the next day. Now every decision I make is affected by yesterday and tomorrow is a result of today and you sometimes don't know if you made the right choice until you see tomorrow. Choice, that is a big word and most people don't realize how big it is. I heard a man I respect greatly speak on choice a week ago. Every choice I make, big or small creates ME. It creates my future, my past, who I love, who I don't, who I respect, who influences me and so on- it is all by the choices I make. Living life itself it a choice that we don't fully grasp until we aren't given that choice anymore. During our Christmas show, I was going through the scripture we were going to use during the Nativity sections and I read the part where the Gabrielle comes to Mary and tells her she is going to give birth to Jesus. She doesn't say, "can you come back later", or "oh, I don't think I can handle that." Instead she said, "be it unto me according to your word." In otherwords, a choice had been made FOR her and she said very simply- ok. I've read that a hundred times and heard it read even more, but I had never really let it sink in. My prayer for all the fresh starts that another year brings is that I make the correct choices I have to make and those choices that are made FOR me, I have the wisdom to accept with a simple and faithful ok.